Biomes
Before You Read
Other than Tundra and desert, the other biomes I can name are Boreal forest, Tropical
Rainforest, grasslands, Temperate Rainforest and Temperate Deciduous Forest.
Biomes and Ecosystems
1.
Biotic components are the living organisms in an environment, such as plants, animals, fungi,
and bacteria.
2.
Abiotic components are the non-living parts of an environment, such as sunlight, soil, moisture,
and temperature.
3.
4.
A biome includes large regions that have similar biotic components and abiotic components.
A terrestrial biome is land based.
5.
Temperature and precipitation are two important abiotic factors that influence the
characteristics of biomes and the distribution of biomes on Earth.
6.
Latitude is the distance measured in degrees north and south from the equator.
7.
Elevation is the height of a land mass above sea level.
8.
Ocean currents are another abiotic factor that effects temperature and precipitation and
therefore influences the characteristics of biomes.
9.
A climatograph is a graph of climate data for a specific region and is generated from data
usually obtained over 30 years from local weather observation stations.
10. Adaptations are characteristics that enable organisms to better survive and reproduce.
11. A structural adaptation is a physical feature of an organism’s body having a specific function
that contributes to the survival of the organism. A physiological adaptation is a physical or
chemical event that occurs within the body of an organism that enables survival. A behavioural
adaptation refers to what an organism does to survive in the unique conditions of its
environment.
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Biome
Location(s)
Tundra
The tundra biome is located in the
upper northern hemisphere, below
the ice-covered polar seas (60ᵒ to
70ᵒ) north latitude.
Boreal forest
The boreal forests are found in the
northern hemisphere between 45ᵒ
and 65ᵒ north latitude across
Canada and between 55ᵒ and 65ᵒ
across Russia.
These forests are found mainly in
eastern Canada, the eastern United
States, eastern Asia, and western
Europe. Southern Australia and New
Zealand also have areas of
deciduous forest. These occur above
23.5ᵒ and 38ᵒ south latitude.
Temperate rainforests are usually
around about 38ᵒ and 56ᵒ south
latitude along the coast of Chile in
South America and from 38ᵒ to 61ᵒ
north latitude along the northwest
coast of North America (including
the coast of British Columbia). New
Zealand and part of southern
Australia also have temperate
rainforests.
Grasslands found in Canada are
referred to as grassland or prairie.
In other places in North America
they are called prairies, and they
are called steppes in Russia.
Temperate grasslands are found
above 23.5ᵒ north latitude and below
23.5ᵒ south latitude, tropical
grasslands or savannahs are found
from 5ᵒ to 20ᵒ north and south of
the equator in Africa, South
America, and northern Australia.
Temperate deciduous
Forest
Temperate rainforest
Grassland (temperate and tropical)
Tropical rainforest
Desert (hot and cold)
These forests are located in a band
4800km wide around the equator,
mostly in the area between the
Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of
Capricorn. Tropical rainforests
cover much of South America,
Central America, central Africa, and
southeast Asia.
Hot deserts are found on every
continent about 30ᵒ north and south
and include the Kalahari and the
Sahara of Africa, the Simpson of
Australia, the Atacama of South
America, and the Sonoran in the
United States. Cold deserts are
found in dry regions in the interior
Physical features
This biome always has a layer of permanently frozen
soil called permafrost. It is a flat terrain, which results
in poor drainage. In summer, a thin layer of the topsoil
thaws, which creates many pools and marshes. Tundra is
cold and dark for most of the year, but has 24 hours of
daylight every day during its short summers.
There is a short summer growing season that averages
about 50 days. The terrain is usually rough, and there
are many marshes, shallow lakes, and wetlands that hold
massive amounts of water. The soil is often very wet.
Seasonal changes between summer and winter are very
large. The temperature changes throughout the day can
also be very large. This biome has four very distinct
seasons and a long, warm growing season. The soil is rich
in fallen leaves that break down and provide nutrients.
These forests occur in narrow strips along coastlines
that are backed by mountains, where winds coming
across the ocean drop large amounts of moisture on the
windward side of the mountains.
In temperate and tropical grasslands, the land is mainly
flat. The soil is very rich and fertile in the temperate
grasslands because of growth and decay of deep grass
roots. The tropical grassland is less rich because
nutrients are removed occasionally by heavy rain. In
both grasslands, strong winds may cause soil erosion.
Precipitation usually occurs in late spring or early
summer and is followed be an extended dry period.
Grass fires are frequent in tropical grasslands and less
frequent in temperate.
The soil is poor because nutrients are quickly recycled
and not retained. The soil is also poor because heavy
rain washes minerals away. The forest floor is usually
very dark, which limits plant growth.
Hot desert – there is either very little rainfall or a lot
of rainfall in a very short period of time. The soils are
often salty because minerals do not get washed away.
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of continents above 30º north
latitude and below 30º south
latitude and in the rain shadows of
mountains. These deserts include
the Gobi Desert of central Asia, and
the Great Basin in North America.
This biome includes the polar land
masses and the large polar ice caps
of the Arctic, Greenland, and
Antarctica.
Permanent ice (polar ice)
Cold desert - cold deserts mostly have precipitation
that falls as snow, but there is rain in the spring. The
soil is often salty and little water erosion occurs.
It has very strong winds and little soil. Little fresh
water is available because of freezing conditions.
Antarctica is very cold almost all year-round.
Climatographs
A = Permanent Ice (Polar Ice)
C= Temperate rainforest
E= Desert (Hot and cold)
B= Temperate Deciduous forest
D= Grassland
F= tropical rainforest
Biomes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
C
B
E
D
F
A
7.
B, city
8.
B, sunlight
9.
C, bacteria
10. A, below freezing half the year
11. B, tropical rainforest
12. D, tundra